Machine for separating and feeding paper blanks.



F. U. GRAVES & A. F. OLIN.

I MAGHINE FOR SEPABATING- AND FEEDING PAPER BLANKS.

APPLICATION FILED Pmm, 1910.

965,889. Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

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F. c. GRAVES & A; I. OLIN.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING AND FEEDING PAPER BLANKS.

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MACHINE FOR SEPABATING AND FEEDING PAPER BLANKS.

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965,889. Patented Aug.2,1910.

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MACHINE FOR SEPARATING AND FEEDING PAPER BLANKS.

APPLICATION PILBDI'EB. 3, 1910.

965,889. K Patented Aug. 2, 1910;

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I. G. GRAVES & A. F. OLIN.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING AND FEEDING PAPER BLANKS,

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965,889. Patented Alig. 2, 1910.

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F. G. GRAVES & A. F. OLIN.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING AND FEEDING PAPER BLANKS.

APPLIOATION FILED FEELS, 1910. 965,889.

Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

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APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, 1910.

I Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

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P. G. GRAVES & A. F. OLIN. MAUHINE FOR SEPAEATING AND FEEDING PAPERBLANKS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3 1910.

Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

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FRANCIS C. GRAVES, OF HARTFORD, AND ANDERS FREDRICK OLIN, OF WINDSOR,CON- NECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO UNITED STATES ENVELOPE COMPANY, OFSPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

MACHINE FOR SEPARATING AND FEEDING PAPER BLANKS.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple mechanism for such amachine, which will surely deliver and correctly feed into the machinewith great rapidity, blanks of various shapes and sizes, particularlyenvelop blanks of odd shapes and sizes, and will carry the blanks tothegumming mechanism, so arranged and spaced that the necessary quantity ofadhesive substance will be properly applied in the desired locality oneach blank.

In the machine illustrated as embodying V the invention, the blanks arepiled upon an elevator, located near the center of the machine, andautomatically raised the thickness of a blank each time a blank is takenfrom the pile. The front edge of the top blank is lifted by a suctionpicker and grasped by rotating and oscillating rolls which pull the topblank from the pile and throw it upon endless traveling bands. Thesebands take the blanks as they are thrown by the delivery rolls, betweenretarding rolls which arrange and space the blanks upon the bands insuch manner that when they pass the gumming mechanism, the roper edgesof the blanks will be correct y provided with the desired amount ofadhesive. The bands, then, after carrying the gummed blanks past anapparatus which dries the gum, deliver the blanks in a pile upon atable, located near the center of the machine, adjacent to the elevator,in such manner that a single operator may pile the blanks upon theelevator from which they are fed into the machine, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 3, 1910.

Patented A11 2, 1910.

Serial No. 541,856.

remove the gummed and dried blanks from the table onto which they aredischarged, without moving from one position.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a side elevation of so muchof such a blank gumming machine, as is necessary to illustrate theinvention. The drying mechanism is omitted, and the gumming mechanism isnot delineated in detail in the drawings, as these mechanisms form nopart of the invention which is the subject of the present claims. Fig. 2shows a rear elevation of the elevator and the mechanism for raising andlowering it. Fig. 3 shows a detail of the elevator operating mechanism.Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of the elevator and its operatingmechanism. Fig. 5 shows a plan of the elevator and its operatingmechanism. Fig. 6 shows a detail of the elevator mechanism. Fig. 7 showsa rear elevation of the pick up tube, the mechanism for reciprocating itvertically, and the mechanism for producing a suction therein. Fig. 8shows a plan of the pick up operating and suction mechanism. Fig. 9shows a side elevation of the pick up operating and suction mechanism.Fig. 10 shows a side view of the pick up tube and its support. Fig. 11shows a rear elevation of the rotating and oscillating feed rolls. Fig.12 shows a section on the plane indicated by the dotted line 1212 onFig. 11. Fig. 13 shows a section on the plane indicated by the dottedline 13-18 on Fig. 11. Fig. 14 shows a side elevation of the drivingmechanism for the feed rolls shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 15 shows a plan of aportion of the endless feed bands, the blank guiding fingers, and theretarding and spacing rolls. Fig. 16 shows a rear elevation of the same.Fig. 17 shows a side elevation of the same. Fig. 18 shows a section ofthe retarding and spacing rolls and guiding fingers.

The blanks to be gummed are placed in a pile upon, the elevator 1. Thiselevator is mounted on the upper end of a vertical column 2 that ismovably held in bearings formed in a bracket 3 which is attached to theunderside of a shelf 1 that extends below the elevator, transverselyacross the frame 5. Figs. 2, 1.) Two vertically arranged gage posts 6are adjustably fastened to the top of the elevator, and two verticallyarranged gage posts 7 are adjustably fastened to the shelf, forretaining the blanks 011 the elevator in correct position to be pickedup and fed into the machine. (Figs. 2, 5.) Two posts 8, which alsoextend upwardly from the shelf, adjustably hold rods 9 that are providedwith spring fingers 10 arranged to engage the front edges of the blanksso as to hold them down and prevent more than one at a time being pickedup and fed. (Figs. 4, 5.) I

On one side of the column which supports the elevator'is a rack 11, andmeshing with this rack is a pinion 12, that is attached to a shaft 13which extends transversely of the machine beneath the shelf. (Figs. 2,5.) Loose on this shaft is a worm wheel 14, and meshing with this wormwheel is a worm 15 that is fixed on a short shaft 16 which extendsparallel with and near to one of the side frames; (Figs. 2, 4.) Attachedto this latter shaft is a ratchet wheel 17 with fine teeth arranged toengage with which is a pawl 18 pivotally mounted on an arm 19 that isfulcrumed onthe shaft. This arm is engaged and lifted for causing thepawl to feed the'ratchet, and through the worm and worm wheel, andpinion and rack, to lift the elevator with a step by step movement, bythe end of a lever 20 that is pivoted to the side frame. This lever isoscillated by a cam 21 on the driving shaft 22 and a spring 23 which isconnected between the frame and the lever in such manner as to hold theroll 24 on the end of the lever against the cam. (Figs. 2, 3, 4.) Thepawl arm is pushed down for retracting the pawl over the teeth of theratchet wheel by a rod 25 movably held in abracket 26 attached to thetop of the shelf. This rod is depressed by a lever 27 that is arrangedin the path of the head of a screw 28 which is turned into a fitting 29on the pickup tube 30. (Figs. 2, 4.) A spring 31 is connected with theend of the pawl arm to prevent the arm from dropping too far, and alsoto aid in supporting the weight of the vertical rod and the lever whichdepresses it. The weight of the elevator and the blanks mounted thereon,is counterbalanced by a weight 32 that is connected by a chain 33, whichpasses over a pulley 34, with the lower end of the elevator-supportingcolumn. (Fig.4.) As the blanks vary in thickness, and the amount of eachupward movement must be equal to the thickness of the blank removed, therate of feed of the elevator must be variable. To accomplish this thepawl arm is lifted for feeding the ratchet wheel positively by the camand lever, every time to a certain position, and is depressed, forretracting the pawl, by the rod and lever, that are actuated by thepickup tube, a variable distance, depending on the adjustment of thescrew 28, so that each time a blank is picked up and passed into themachine, the elevator is fed up the required distance to keep the topblank always at the same level. The number of ratchet teeth over whichthe pawl is retracted determines the amount of upward feed of theelevator.

For the purpose of rapidly lowering the elevator to position to receivea stack of blanks, and for quickly raising the elevator to bring the to3 blank to the proper level, the worm wheel, as above stated, is looselymounted on the shaft that bears the pinion which meshes with the rack onthe elevator column. On one side of the worm wheel is a clutch member35. This clutch member is engaged by a clutch member 36 that is splinedon the shaft and is forced toward the other clutch member by a spring 37arranged in the spring case 38 which is fastened to the shaft andprovided with a handle 39. (Figs. 2, 5, 6.) An auxiliary handle 40 ispivoted to the spring case adjacent to the main handle. When the twohandles are pressed together, the inner end of the auxiliary handleengages a lever 41 that has a forked end arranged in contact with themovable clutch member so as to draw the movable member against thepressure of the s aring and separate the clutch members. hen thesemembers are disengaged, the shaft is free and can be rotated by thehandle for quickly raising or lowering the elevator.

The fitting 29 on the vertically reciprocating tube 30, the lower end ofwhichis desirably made of rubber, is connected by a flexible pipe 42with a pump 43. One end of the pump case is hinged to a bracket 44attached to one of the side frames, and the pump plunger is connected bya rod 45 with an eccentric 46 on the driving shaft. (Figs. 7, 8, 9.)This pump at the proper time causes a suction which lifts the front edgeof the top blank up against the lower end of the tube. The pick-up tubeis attached to a slide 47 that is held in a guide bracket 48 which isfastened to a cross bar 49 of the frame. (Figs. 9, 10.) This slide islifted by the engagement with a small roller 50, mounted on a studprojecting from the slide, of a cam 51 on a transverse shaft 52 that hasa beveled gear 53 in mesh with a beveled gear 54 on a shaft 55 that isdriven from the driving shaft by a pairof beveled gears 56. (Figs. 7, 8,9.) The pick-up slide is drawn down, and its roll held against the camby a pair of springs 57. (Fig. 10.) This mechanism lowers the bottom endof the pick-up tube against the top blank and causes such suction thatwhen the tube is raised the front edge of the top blank is lifted fromthe pile beneath. On the outer end of the transverse shaft that operatesthe pick-up is a cam 58 that engages an arm 59 which is pivoted to thebracket 60 attached to the side frame. (Figs. 7 9.) This arm bearsagainst the outer end of the stem 61 of a vacuum breaking valve whichcontrols an opening into the end of the pump. (Fig. 9.) A spring 62 onthis valve stem normally keeps the valve closed, and the cam, throughthe arm, opens the valve and relieves the suction when the picker tubeis raised.

As the lifted blank is released, by the breaking of the suction, itsedge is grasped and pulled forward by rolls, all of which are rotated,and the lower of which are oscillated. The upper rolls 63 are fixed onthe inner ends of a divided shaft 6%, the sections of which are mountedin bearings 65 attached to the cross bar 49 and bearings 66 attached tothe sides of the frame. (Fig. 11.) This shaft is divided at the middleto permit the pick-up tube to pass down and up between the upper rollsfor the purpose of picking up and lifting a blank. The lower rolls 67are fastened on a shaft 68 that is held by bearing blocks 69 movablymounted in grooves in arms 7 O which are pivoted on the upper rollshaft. (Figs. 11, 12.) Springs 71 are arranged below the bearing blocksto thrust the lower roll shaft up toward the upper roll shaft. (Fig.12.) On the ends of the lower roll shaft are pinions 72 which mesh withpinions 7 3 on the upper roll shaft for the purpose of causing theseshafts and rolls to rotate together. (Fig. 11.) Meshing with one of thepinions on the upper roll shaft is a gear 7 4: on an arbor 7 5 thatbears a pinion 7 6 which meshes with a gear 7 7 on the pick-up operatingshaft. (Figs. 11, let.) The upper ends of the arms, which carry thebearing blocks for the lower roll shaft, are joined by a bar 78 thatextends transversely of the machine and parallel with the roll shafts.(Fig. 11.) This bar is connected by a link 7 9 with the end of a lever80 that bears a roll 81 which is held by a spring 82 in contact with acam 83 on the transverse picker operating shaft. (Figs. 11, 13.) Thiscam and lever oscillate the bearing block arms and swing the lower shaftback and forth so that the lower rolls, while rotating, will be carriedbeneath the picked up blank for the purpose of engaging its undersideand drawing it forward between the rolls. The oscillating and rotatingrolls throw the blanks forward, one at a time, upon the paralleltraveling endless feed bands 84, of which there may be any desirednumber, preferably three. (Figs. 15, 16.) The blanks are guided onto thefeed bands, as they are thrown forward by the feed rolls, by springfingers 85 that are attached to a yoke 86 which extends across themachine. This yoke is supported at its ends by slotted bars 87 that aresecured to the side frames. The positions of the ends of the springfingers are determined by thumb screws 88. (Figs. 15, 16, 17, 18.)

The blanks, as they pass beneath the spring fingers, are spaced upon thefeed hands by a roll 89 that is supported above the bands by brackets 90adjustably secured to the slot-ted bars 87. Below this spacing roll is ashaft 91 with rolls 92 that hold up the bands and coeperate with theroll 89 to space the blanks on the bands. (Fig. 16.) The lower rollshaft is mounted in bearing blocks 93 which are vertically movable inslots in the brackets that carry the upper roll shaft. (Fig. 17.) Spring94 below the bearing blocks, carrying the lower roll shaft, holds therolls up with the necessary pressure to effect the desired action. Thebrackets which hear these spacing rolls are adjusted along the slottedbars a greater or less distance from the rotating and oscillating rolls,which deliver the blanks onto the bands, according to the size of theblanks to be passed through the machine and gummed. These rolls arelocated so as to retard the blanks as they are thrown forward by thedelivery rolls and pass them forward uniformly spaced on the bands.

The feed rolls are rotated quite rapidly. The lower roll is swung backunder the edge of the blank lifted by the pick-up, and then as the edgeof that blank is caught between the rolls, is quickly swung forward insuch manner that, due to the oscillation of the lower roll, and therapid rotation of both of the rolls, the blank is thrown forward ontothe bands. If it were not for the roll 89 the blanks might fall anywhereon the bands. Some of the blanks might be thrown too far and some notfar enough, depending upon the weight of the paper, the temperature andhumidity of the atmosphere and the air currents. Thus they would not beuniformly spaced on the bands, and the amount of gum would vary on eachblank. To obviate this, and to uniformly space the blanks, they arethrown forward by the rotating and swinging feed rolls and guided by thespring fingers against the under surface of the roll 89, which roll,acting in conjunction with the roll 92, as stated above, retards theblanks so that they will always land on the bands in the same relationto each other.

The amount of overlap of the blanks, that is, the amount of flap whichis exposed for gumming, and which'varies with the size of the blanks andaccording to desire, depends on the relation of the speed of travel ofthe feed or carrying bands to the speed of delivery of the blanks ontothe hands by the feed rolls.

The feed bands carry the blanks properly overlapped by the spacingrolls, around a drum 95 which is located at the front of the machine andis rotated by the moving bands. After carrying them around this drum,the bands carry the blanks over an idler roll 96, at which point theadhesive compound is applied by the gumming mechanism. (Fig. 1.) Thegumming mechanism which is shown has a receptacle 97 for the adhesive,and several rolls 98 for transferring the required quantity of adhesivefrom the receptacle to the desired portions of the blanks which arebrought up from beneath by the traveling bands. The gumming rolls arerotated by intermeshing gears 99, that are driven by a sprocket chaingearing 100 which is driven by beveled gears 101 rotated by a shaft 102connected with the driving mechanism. (Fig. 1.) The details of thegumming mechanism, are not fully illustrated and completely described,as these details form no part of the invention claimed here.

After passing the gumming rolls and receiving a quantity of adhesive,the bands carry the blanks over an idler drum 103 and then to the gumdrying mechanism, (not shown). After the blanks pass the drier, they aredelivered by the bands between the rolls 104 onto the table 105 near thecenter of the machine, adjacent to and just back of the elevator. (Fig.1.)

The invention claimed is:

1. In a gumming machine, the combination of an elevator, mechanism formoving the elevator vertically, a pick-up tube movable vertically towardand from the elevator, means for producing a suction in said tube, feedrolls, gearing for rotating both of the feed rolls, and mechanismforswinging the lower feed roll about the axis of the upper feed roll whileit is being rotated, whereby the feed rolls will grasp and feed forwardblanks as they are picked up by said suction tube.

2. I11 a gumming machine, the combination of an elevator, mechanism formoving the elevator vertically, a pick-up tube movable vertically towardand from the elevator, means for producin suction in said tube, feedrolls, gearing or rotating both of the feed rolls, mechanism forswinging the lower feed roll about the axis of the upper feed roll whileit is being rotated, whereby the feed rolls will grasp and feed forwardblanks as they are picked up by said suction tube, and endless bands forreceiving the blanks fed by said rolls.

3. In a gumming machine, the combination of an elevator support, anelevator movably held by said support, mechanism for moving the elevatorvertically, a pick-up tube movable vertically toward and from theelevator, means for producing a suction in said tube, feed rolls,gearing for rotating both of the feed rolls, mechanism for swinging thelower feed roll about the axis of the upper feed roll while it is beingrotated, whereby the feed rolls will grasp and feed forward blanks asthey are picked up by said suction tube, gage posts adjustably attachedto the top of the elevator, and gage posts adjustably fastened LU, theelevator support.

4. In a gumming machine, the combination of an elevator, mechanism formoving the elevator vertically, a pick-up tube movable toward and fromthe. elevator, means for producing a suction in said tube, rolls forgrasping and feeding forward blanks picked up by said suction tube,means for rotating said rolls, endless bands for receiving the blanksfed by said rolls, and rolls for spacing the blanks on said endlessbands.

5. In a gumming machine, the combination of an elevator, mechanism formoving the elevator vertically, a pick-up tube movable toward and fromthe elevator, means for producing a suction in said tube, rolls forgrasping and feeding forward blanks picked up by said suction tube,means for rotating said rolls, endless bands for receiving the blanksfed by said rolls, fingers for guiding the blanks fed by the rolls ontothe said bands, and rolls for spacing the blanks on said bands.

6. The combination in a gumming machine, of a pick-up tube, means forroducing a suction of air at the end of said tube, a pair of rollsarranged one above the other adjacent to said pick-up tube, means forrapidly rotating both of said rolls, swinging means for supporting thelower roll from the axis of the upper roll and means for oscillatingsaid supporting means so that said lower roll oscillates from the axisof the upper roll as both rolls are rotated.

7. The combination in a gumming machine, of a pick-up tube, means forproducing a suction at the end of the tube, rotating rolls, the lower ofwhich oscillate about the axis of the upper rolls, endless travelingbands passing adjacent to said rolls, and a pair of spacing rollsadjustable toward and from the feed rolls to stop and locate the blanksat the proper place on the endless bands.

8. In a gumming machine, the combination of an elevator, mechanism forautomatically feeding the elevator slowly upward, means for quicklymoving the elevator downward, a pick-up tube movable toward and from theelevator, means for producing a suction in said tube, rolls for graspingand feeding forward blanks picked up by said suction tube, means forrotating said rolls, and means for oscillating one of said rolls.

9. In a gumming machine, the combination of an elevator, mechanism formoving the elevator vertically, a pick-up movable toward and from theelevator, rotating and oscillating rolls for grasping and feedingforward blanks picked up by said tube, endless bands for receiving theblanks fed by said rolls, and rolls for spacing the blanks on saidbands.

10. The combination in a gumming machine, of-a pick-up tube, means forproducing a suction at the end of the tube, rotating feed rolls, endlesstraveling bands passing adjacent to said rolls, and apair of spacingrolls adjustable toward and from the feed rolls to stop and locate theblanks at the proper place on the endless bands.

11. The combination in a gumming ma-' chine, of a pick-up tube, a springfor moving the tube downward, a cam for moving the tube upward, a pumpfor producing a suction of air at the end of said tube, a pair of rollsarranged one above the other adjacent to said pick-up tube, means forr0- tating both of said rolls, swinging means supporting the lower rollfrom the axis of the upper roll and means for oscillating saidsupporting means so that said lower roll oscillates from the axis of theupper roll as both rolls are rotated.

FRANCIS C. GRAVES. ANDERS FREDRICK OLIN.

Witnesses:

JOSEPHINE M. STREMPFER, H. R. WVILLIAMS.

